Antigua, Lake Atitlan & Tikal
5 days / 4 nights
From $1,340 per person, double occupancy for 2009

Day 1 (Tuesday or Friday): Guatemala City– Antigua
Welcome to Guatemala! Upon exiting customs and immigration you will be met outside the baggage terminal. Set out on a private transfer (approximately 45 minutes) to your Antigua hotel. Overnight at an Antigua hotel, breakfast included.

Day 2: Antigua Architecture & History Tour – Lake Atitlan
You will be met at your hotel reception this morning by your private guide for a half-day walking tour of Antigua. Your tour will cover the architectural and historical highlights of this colonial city, with a behind-the-scenes look at some of the many ruined churches, convents, and cathedrals. Entrance fees are included to the Iglesia San Francisco, the Cathedral, Central Park, and La Merced Church. This tour is flexible and if you have specific sights that you wish to see please notify your guide. If you wish to visit other monuments you will need to pay the entrances directly. At the end of the tour your guide can either accompany you back to your hotel or take you to a drop off point of your choosing. Strolling the streets you'll see that Antigua has kept its original character by preserving its monuments and retaining its original architectural forms. As a consequence, Antigua was declared a Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO in 1979. Afternoon transfer to Lake Atitlan. Overnight at a Lake Atitlan hotel, breakfast included. Remainder of your day at leisure. (B)

Day 3: Lake Atitlan – Chichi Market – Guatemala City – Flores (Tikal)
You will be met at your hotel by your private driver and guide for the 1-hour transfer to the highland town of Chichicastenango. Along the way you will pass through the central highland region and see the local Maya people in their traditional dress going about their daily lives - working in the fields, collecting firewood, traveling between markets, selling their wares. Upon arrival in Chichicastenango your guide will take you to explore this famous market (market days – Thursdays and Sundays). Market areas include fruits, vegetables and everyday items as well as the craft area where you can find endless variety of beautiful textile, wooden and ceramic crafts. You will also visit the famous Santo Tomas Church where local Maya people come to perform Maya rituals within the Catholic Church - demonstrating the interesting way the two faiths have combined in recent times. You may also opt to hike up the hill to the Pascaul Abaj ritual site to see if local shamans are performing rituals and/or to the cemetery on the outskirts of town. Lunch will be served at the Hotel Santo Tomas. Afterward, you will transfer to the Guatemala City Airport (approx. 3 hrs.) for the early evening flight to Flores. In Flores you will be met and transferred to your hotel in the Tikal Area. (B,L)

Day 4: Tikal – Guatemala City
This morning you will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to Tikal National Park for a privately guided tour. You will explore the amazing UNESCO protected Mayan Temple site of Tikal where huge Mayan temples rise above the jungle canopy and monkeys and tropical birds are abundant in the surrounding rainforest. Tikal is the grandest of all Mayan Ruins, and the stunning beauty of this tropical paradise will leave you breathless. Along with your private guide you will tour the ruins. Lunch is included (you may upgrade to a luxury picnic lunch).Climb to the top of the "Temple of the Jaguar" rising above the jungle to overlook the many temples and main plaza to imagine yourself in the hey-day of this thriving ancient city. Your guide will give you an excellent overview of the discoveries made here, an insight into the Mayan way of life, and the historical significance of the ruin. You will also encounter many species of birds and the rich flora of tropical hardwoods like mahogany and teak, along with countless ornamentals and edibles flourishing here. After lunch you will have time to relax and refresh before transferring to the Flores Airport for your flight to Guatemala City. Airport reception and transfer to your hotel. (B,L)

Day 5: Int’l departure
Hotel pickup and transfer to the airport